Art and Artifacts - ART, NATURE, AND ARISTS.ppt

ART, NATURE, AND ARISTS•On page 15 of Marcia Muelder Eaton’s Basic Issues in Aesthetics (1988) she says the following: •1. a) “A rock can become a work of art only if someone - an artist - is responsible (at least in part) for the ways it looks. •b) Only if someone works on a rock can it become a piece of sculpture.” •c) The actual work done can be minimal . . .” [Bold italics hers, regular italics mine.] Carl Andre’s Stone FieldROBERT SMITHSON (1928-1973) IROBERT SMITHSON IIThe Notion of an Artifact•The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘artifact’ as ‘an artificial product,’ and defines ‘artificial’ as ‘opposed to natural,’ ‘made by or resulting from art or artifice.’ •‘Artifice’ is ‘the action of an artificer’ and an artificer is a ‘craftsman,’ or ‘one who makes by art or skill.’ •The term ‘art’ in the preceding quotes refers to ‘human skill as the result of knowledge and practice.’ Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines ‘artifact’ as ‘something created by humans, usually for a practical purpose.’The Artifactuality Condition I•The artifactuality condition = df. For any object o that is an artwork a, o is an artifact.•The artifactuality condition maintains that all works of art are artifacts.•This is a means by which artworks are distinguished from natural objects, especially when they have beauty in common.•It does not of course follow that all artifacts are works of art.The Artifactuality Condition II•When the artifactuality condition says that all works of art are artifacts, it is using “artifact” in the traditional restrictive sense.•An artwork that is an artifact in the traditional restrictive sense indicates something that is manmade, or, more specifically made by hand.•This is especially true when we think of traditional paintings, such as Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, or traditional sculptures such as Michelangelo’s Pietà.•These things are manmade and handmade.Leonardo The Mona LisaMichelangelo's PietaThe Artifactuality Condition III•The artifactuality condition in the traditional restrictive sense is challenged by many works of 20th century and contemporary art.•Philosophically, our options are either to:• a) reject the artificactuality condition and simply deny that all artworks are artifacts; or•b) broaden the notion of artifact to include objects that have an understandable relation to an artistic intention.Some Works That Challenge the Artifactuality Condition in the Traditional SenseCarl Andre Equivalent VIIICarl Andre Floor SculpturesRobert SmithsonRocks and Mirror Square II, 1969/71Richard Long Land ArtIreland LineMINIMALISMUntitled, Donald Judd, 1969Untitled, Donald Judd, 1969Dan Flavin, the nominal three (to William of Ockham), 1964Bruce Nauman, Neon Templates of the Left Side of My Body, 19Joseph Kosuth Any Five Foot Sheet of Glass to Lean Against Any Wall, 1965Robert Irwin, Black-Line Volume, 1975-1976Joseph Kosuth, ‘Titled (Art as Idea as Idea) [Water]’, 1966CONCEPTUAL ARTJoseph Kosuth, Clock (One and Five), 1965CONCEPTUAL ARTALL THE THINGS I KNOWBUT OF WHICH I AM NOTAT THE MOMENT THINKING -1:36PM; JUNE 15, 1969Robert Barry, 1969CONCEPTUAL ARTChris Burden, Bed Piece, 1972BODY ART/PERFORMANCE ARTChris Burden ShootDADAISM - READYMADESFountain, Marcel Duchamp, 1917Bottlerack, Marcel Duchamp, 1914J. M. W. Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed, 1844CREATIONSELECTIONMarcel Duchamp, In Advance of the Broken Arm, 1917SPECIFICATIONALL THE THINGS I KNOWBUT OF WHICH I AM NOTAT THE MOMENT THINKING -1:36PM; JUNE 15, 1969Robert Barry, 1969。